Is the Sky Blue?
by trimmingsofthebrain
Summary: A fluffy Doctor and River Song moment, slightly angsty thanks to those back-to-front and front-to-back timelines.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

The Doctor rushed about the sparking TARDIS console, mumbling to himself words that only those in close proximity could hear. Amy and Rory stood nearby, casting each other worried glances as they struggled to keep their balance aboard the tossing and turning of the ship. Looking like a mad man, the Doctor's head shot up, hair flopping all over the place and wildly looked for the pair of Ponds.

"Amy!" The Doctor gasped. "Rory! Go open all of the doors from here to the swimming pool. Quickly now!" As Amy and Rory sped off, the Doctor continued to flip switches while running circles around the TARDIS. Pulling the last trigger, he ran and flung the doors open while jumping out the way. All he could see was a blur of golden hair before hearing a splash in the distance. The Doctor had closed the door and was making his way to the pool when Amy and Rory passed him in the narrow halls.

"Might want to grab her a towel, Doctor. I think she'd appreciate it," Amy mentioned as they passed. After grabbing the towel, the Doctor walked into the spacious pool area to find a frizzy haired River Song looked towards him. Before he could say anything, she sauntered up and plucked the towel from his hands. Her trademark greeting of, "Hello, sweetie," was barely out of her mouth before the baby-faced Doctor began questioning her.

"Did you jump off a building AGAIN River?"

River sounded exasperated. "Is the sky blue, sweetie?"

The Doctor furrowed his brow. "Is the sky- what kind of a question is that River? River, I'm telling you. I won't always be there to catch you when you decide, to be stupid, and jump off of a building!" River wasn't listening. After his confusion to her initial question, River's shoulders drooped slightly, and her face fell a bit. To the unobserving eye, nothing about her poise had shifted. Inside, however, River was struggling to keep her composure; her entire world had just been flipped upside down, yet she couldn't let the Doctor know a thing. Damn those back-to-front and front-to-back timelines…


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

"_You're the woman who married me. And wife, I have a request. This world is dying and it's my fault. And I can't bear it another day. Please, help me. There isn't another way."_

"_Then you may kiss the bride."_

"_I'll make it a good one."_

"_You better."_

River heard the wheezing TARDIS before she could see the beautiful blue box. It was her first night at Stormcage, and she had been in her cell for barely an hour. _That impossible man._ She thought, moments before the physical incarnation of her thought practically skipped out from the box and up to her cell. As he sonicked the cell padlock, River was trying to decipher where in his timeline she was. Based on the fervor with which he was exhibiting, she figured they had to be married. _And quite recently too, it seems. I wonder...does this mean we are linear?_

"Sweetie, where are we?" River inquired as she slipped out of her cell and into the TARDIS, all the while holding her dear blue diary. The Doctor closed the TARDIS doors behind her before spinning her around and kissing her. _My goodness. We really must have been married for him too!_ Thought River. _**We've hardly been married and I already miss having her around the TARDIS.**_The Doctor was thinking. He broke their kiss to answer her question.

"Well, River Song, I do believe I have just married the very woman who was trained to kill me. Quite ironic when you really think about it...anyways!" With this, the Doctor bopped River on the nose before setting their coordinates. "Wife, I wish to take you to the Platja de Foc on the planet Mapula as a sort of 'honeymoon,' as humans call it. The Platja de Foc _literally_ translates to "Beach of Fire." At this, River looked alarmed. "No no dear no need to worry. There isn't any real fire of course. No no the sand is just very fine and very black and the water is warm and different shades of red and orange. It really is quite a sight!"

While he had been rambling, the Doctor had landed the TARDIS, and somehow procured the necessary supplies for a day at the beach, consisting mostly of plastic beach toys. River quickly left and changed into her swimsuit, meeting the Doctor back in the console room.

As soon as they stepped out of the TARDIS, River gasped at the beauty of the beach. The sand was as fine as powder, and glittered a bit in the sunlight. Even from a distance she could see just how clear the water was. A few people were milling about, laying out on the sand, playing in the water, and generally relaxing. As the Doctor set up their spot, River noticed a man laying on his stomach a few meters away. On his back was a tattoo reading, "Blood is thicker than water." _What a grand observation. _River thought sarcastically. She decided to ask the Doctor if he knew why someone would permanently mark their body with such an obvious observation.

"Doctor? There's a man over there. See him? He's got a tattoo of a fairly obvious fact on his back. See there? That one. It says, _Blood is thicker than water._ Do you know why he would tattoo such a thing?"

The Doctor chuckled at River's lack of knowledge on such a human saying. It wasn't very often he was able to inform _her _of something.

"Well, Riv, it's basically saying that family is closer than any other relationship or anything else. You know, because family shares blood and are considered blood relatives?" River looked perplexed for a moment before nodding her head.

"I guess that makes sense. All I'm saying is that if I wanted to tattoo something obvious on myself, I would say something like 'the sky is blue.'" The Doctor laughed and wrapped an arm around River's waist. He motioned to their picnic basket.

"Care for a jammie dodger?" The Doctor asked River.

River gave him one of her looks. "Is the sky blue?" She asked while reaching for the box. After the jammie dodgers were all eaten, the couple raced to the water, splashing each other once there. After pausing the splash war, the Doctor and River took in the temperature of the water.

"Isn't this water warm, Doctor?!" Exclaimed River.

"Is the sky blue, Riv?" Was the Doctor's sly remark. River looked at him, and the pair began laughing uncontrollably.

Their day at Platja de Foc was filled with sand castles, making funny faces at each other underwater, eating various snacks, and a variety of fun beach activities. (River kicked the Doctor's butt in sand volleyball, but he claimed to have let her win.) As the sun began going down over the firey waves, the Doctor noticed River trying to stifle a yawn. Walking up behind her as she watched the sun set, he put his arms around her waist.

Speaking quietly, he leaned down and asked, "Time to head home?" River turn her head to look up at him.

"Is the sky blue?" Both chuckled quietly before collecting their things and returning to the old, blue box. Once inside, River asked the Doctor if she could spend the night. "No funny business either, Doctor. I just want a nice night in. That beach sure did wear me out." After the pair had gotten their pajamas on, they climbed into the Doctor's bed. River turned to face the Doctor, both holding on to each other.

"River. I want you to know something. Although you might be in Stormcage for killing me, you are always and completely forgiven. And...and Riv? I...I love you. Until the end of time I will always love you. Remember that." The Doctor was remembering younger versions of himself as he spoke these words. He remembered versions of himself who didn't know who River was. Versions of himself who didn't trust River's judgement at all. He needed to make sure she understood this now, before she encountered his past. "River? Did you hear me?"

"Is the sky blue, sweetie?" The time traveling couple embraced, both realizing at once that this linear state meant that they were now heading opposite directions. They were now entering each others' pasts. Pasts where one's trust began to wane with each meeting. As this thought rang clearly through their minds, they held on to each other tighter.

The Doctor answered River. "The sky is indeed blue, dear."

**A/N**

No offense to anyone with a tattoo of "Blood is thicker than water." I thought of this because when I was younger I remember asking my dad why someone would tattoo a fact on themselves, and he had to explain it to me. I personally don't have anything against tattoos, and am considering getting one later on in life. Reviews are greatly appreciated, seeing as this is my first story! Thanks for reading!


	3. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

The Doctor ran the path to the swimming pool, opening all of the doors as fast as he could. Running back to the console room, he double checked the coordinates and opened the TARDIS doors before jumping out of the way. As with countless times, all he saw was a flash of golden hair before hearing a distant splash. Grinning to himself, he closed the doors and followed the path he had taken earlier. The Doctor grabbed her usual things, a towel, dry clothes, and a hairdryer, before meeting his wife in the pool room. River was just clambering out of the pool, and looked surprised to see him.

"Doctor? Let me get this straight, you'll always be there to catch me out of the sky?" The Doctor could already feel his heart breaking as he handed her the towel.

"Is the sky blue, dear?" He prayed with every ounce of his being that she would give him her usual smirk or exasperated response, but there was no such luck. River just looked confused and slowly answered.

"Why of course it is...Doctor? Are you feeling alright? Usually I'm the one with the smart alek answers sweetie, not you...anyways. How did you know where I was Doctor?" River continued to ask questions and ramble on, but the Doctor stood still, heart shattering. He looked up and tried with all of his might to look the same as he had minutes ago.

"River, I want you to understand something. I will always be there to catch you. Wherever and whenever you are. I will _always_ be there to catch you. As long as the sky is blue, I will be there for you." River continued to look perplexed, but shook it off when she saw the hairdryer he was still holding. She eagerly took it and left the pool room to find an outlet.

"Sorry sweetie! I must take care of my hair. It gets awfully dreadful to take care of when it gets wet! You should see it sometime!" River yelled as she walked out the door. The Doctor stood in place as a tear ran down his cheek. He remembered their day at Platja de Foc, when her hair had been thoroughly soaked.

"I have seen it." The Doctor whispered to himself, chastising himself for being sentimental while simultaneously getting frustrated their cursed relationship. The Doctor sighed before following River's footsteps out the door, bracing himself for an afternoon with a wife who wasn't his wife yet.


End file.
